Draconian
by Strawberry Bijou
Summary: StevenMay - he was just a blank page in her diary of life.


**Pairing – **Steven/May  
**Note – **I'm not so sure if I like this but… please enjoy!

* * *

**Draconian  
**please, I'm begging you, just give me a chance.

She had led a charmed life, a simple life, so far. Everything had seemed perfect, extraordinary, almost unethically so. But she didn't care. As long as she walked her adventure, as long as everything was seen through rose colored glasses, she'd be happy.

But that happiness diminished when she met him.

Was it because he was so realistic? Was it because he was outlined with dark crevices and broken dreams? May didn't know, but she didn't really care either.

"Here," She walked up to him, forcing a letter into his hands. "It's a letter, from Mr. Stone."

At first, all he did was look down at the sheet of paper, but then he blinked and offered a small smile. A distant smile.

May did not smile back.

* * *

The next time she saw him was three months after that day.

She had matured some, to the point where she stopped sticking her tongue out at Team Magma members, but was still the same May. The same girl with the distinct frown and the distinct smile.

It had taken her some time, but she had gotten past all of the previous gym leaders and was on her way to face Winona, but had been halted by the silver haired man. Her surprise was written into her features as his lofty eyes stayed glued to her astonished mouth.

"Hello."

"Hi."

They talked for a few minutes, and soon May found that the retired champion was actually sweet in his own odd way. Like when something that looks absolutely repulsive actually tastes absolutely wonderful. She offered him her number and received his in return.

"Good luck."

And with that, she continued onto Fortree City with a smile on her face.

* * *

That grin never departed from her lips, even when she won her sixth badge. She had called him, just to hear his voice, just to tell him about her win. Just for that rough tone that soothed her homesickness. When he started talking, her loneliness became only a distant memory from a faraway world.

* * *

May found herself, two solid weeks following her win against Winona, investigating the Space Center in Mossdeep. She didn't know why she was attracted to the place, maybe it was the soft feel of astronomy against the caustic architecture, or maybe it was just curiosity. Curiosity as to why they even needed a Space Center in a place like Hoenn.

"Help me, May."

The girl stood beside Steven, her feet frozen to the floor. She stared hard at Maxi, and then Tabitha, and then finally at her friend. His eyes were still so rough, still so raw, so realistic, that her words caught in her throat, but the meaning was not lost in translation.

And so they fought.

Steven had never seen such a heated battle, or someone so passionate and so graceful capture the limelight in fighting, other than Wallace, really. He was happily surprised.

With May's help, they had won.

After the battle, she murmured a slight goodbye and a promise to call him and then left for the gym. That was when the inevitable took place, when she started to fall for him.

* * *

May called Steven every night.

And somewhere in the fray of all those late night phone calls, she fell for him. It didn't make sense to her, why him? Why the retired champion? Why, why, why?

Maybe it was because he was so real, so unworldly, so distinctly charming. Maybe it was because he was an escape to the ethical and raw authenticity of life. May bit her lip. No, that wasn't why.

* * *

With the hourglass running out of sand, May was frantic. Her fingers were curled tightly over the pokéball that held her blaziken, her love, her life, just thinking. Why did the world have to depend on her? Why couldn't it depend on someone like the Kanto champion, Lance, or the Sinnoh champion, Cynthia? Why her? Why her of all the capable people in the world?

May sucked on her cheek. Her next spot was to challenge the infamous pokémon Rayquaza, the one causing the world so much pain, so much heartache. It was her job to heal the people, heal the world, heal herself. But she was afraid. Afraid that her tall tower, so tall that it reached the skylines of outer space, would come tumbling down. She'd meant for it to be that tall, for it to be so protective. But, now, during all that time she'd been away from home, it was starting to crumble away. May wondered if she'd find Steven in the fray.

Her heart was stained on her soiled sleeves as she entered the Sky Pillar.

* * *

Although afraid, she won. She had called Steven to tell him the good news.

He hadn't answered.

* * *

Two more months went without May hearing from Steven. She had won the championship, but not him. And that irked her to no end. Where was he? Why wasn't he answering?

Did he not care?

She swallowed back her bitterness and decided to go back to Mossdeep, just to see if he was at his home there.

He was. But when May saw him, she didn't know what to say. Words wouldn't suffice.

He beat her to it when he pulled her in a tight embrace and apologized. He didn't seem to notice how her cheeks flared red when he pulled back to study her, to make sure she wasn't bruised, or marred, or tattered.

May didn't question him. She only smiled.

They talked for hours, discussing from the most pointless of things to the things that mattered the most. May smiled the whole time, even when he said, "I'm just a blank page in that diary of yours that you call life, May. You still have so much to learn, so much to accomplish. If you get lost along the way, just give me a call. I'll help you back on your feet."

Her happily ever after was shattered.

* * *

She called, but he never answered.

* * *

The years had passed by slowly, dreadfully. May had no recollection of what had happened, none at all. But she was happy. She was starting to forget the sound of his voice, the awkward rhythm in his walk, but she was still drunk on those daydreams. Those damned daydreams that led her back to him all over again.

But soon, those daydreams disappeared. And all that was left was a hapless champion.

Her memories were starting to fade, but she kept training. Kept battling. All in all, the past year had flown by, she was now twenty. Her heart was set on visiting Meteor Falls on her birthday, the one place she had never been to before. She had saved visiting the cavern for a special day, the perfect time.

She had remembered that Steven loved going there. She winced; the thought of him still hurt.

But, as she ventured deeper into the cavern, his words seemed to echo in her head. That one single lie that had hurt her in the end. She gripped onto her blaziken's pokéball, so tightly that it imprinted itself in her palm. She was angry, afraid, and – more or less - sad.

She hadn't seen him in so long, but she still thought about him. How pathetic was that?

May bit on her lip as she went in deeper, so much deeper. She had delved past the waterfalls, the small, yet lengthy rivers, and finally found herself in a tiny spot that held some sunlight. Some sweetness. Some happiness.

And Steven stood in that spot. His back was turned to her, but she could tell he was searching for stones. Searching for the links of the past. Her breath caught in her throat as she took a step back, which earned his attention.

He turned around.

And that was when she went into a flat out bolt.

She could hear him faintly calling her name, his soft, rough voice yelling out just that single word that she responded to. And yet, she didn't turn around. He had pointedly shown that he didn't have time for her, so she didn't have time for him.

May ran faster until she couldn't hear him anymore. Until she couldn't hear the sound of her heart breaking. But it wouldn't stop. It kept tearing and crying and screaming out protests to go back, but she wouldn't hear of it.

She wouldn't hear of ever seeing Steven Stone again. But her broken heart longed for him, yearned for his touch.

But she wouldn't give into temptation. Never ever again.

* * *

end.


End file.
